


to the point

by brights (orphan_account)



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Drabbles, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Slow To Update, trans!Rhys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:05:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7061794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/brights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Handsome Jack and Rhys are both very different, and yet, they've got so much in common.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> * this is a collection of drabbles featuring rhys and jack  
> * some drabbles follow the storyline of "[kiss your fears](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7062100/chapters/16054039)", though it's not necessary to read it first

It’s well into the afternoon when Rhys decides to take a bath. He hadn’t gotten to enjoy one for a while now, and with the gifts that Jack had brought home from a recent outing, he decided that it was a good a time as ever for him to enjoy himself. He spreads the bath salts around in the water, watching as they seem to dissolve quickly. He stands and removes his clothing and steps into the bath, where he sinks down and releases a sigh. The bruises and wounds have their own sting from the exposure to the water, but it was nothing that Rhys couldn’t handle. He closes his eyes and lifts his legs up, one by one, stretching them, and he notices that there’s music playing from outside of the bathroom, and it’s probably Jack, doing his own form of relaxing.

 

And then, there’s a knock at the door, and it opens, and there’s Jack, wearing a Hyperion t-shirt and his pajama bottoms. It had been a relatively quiet day for them, and quite relaxing, in fact. He gives Rhys a grin and sits on the edge of the bathtub, looking down at him, and he takes in the sight for a moment before he finally speaks, “Mind if I join ya?”

 

“No, come on, I hope the water isn’t too warm for you,” Rhys says, and he watches as Jack removes his mask and his clothing almost effortlessly, mask on the counter and his clothes in a small pile on the floor. Jack snorts at Rhys’s statement as he walks over to the bathtub and gets into it. He, like Rhys, sighs at the initial comfort, and he sinks down into the water a little, “Fucking perfect.”

 

Rhys moves a bit, the only sound in the room the distinct sound of the water moving as he adjusts himself. Jack keeps his eyes on him, and just like always, Rhys is looking right back at him, and he swears that Jack can actually read his mind, because that's when Jack leans up and moves toward Rhys, placing a kiss on his lips. “You know,” Jack starts, moving a hand over Rhys’s chest and grabbing him gently, “I don't mean to hurt you, baby.”

 

And it's Jack's way of saying he's sorry, even though it's so, so fake, but Rhys leans into the touch, wanting so badly for it to be real, and he’s even started lying to himself about it, hoping to believe it someday. Sometimes, Rhys thinks that if they’d just met under different circumstances, then things would have turned out differently. Maybe if he hadn’t really met him at all, it would be better, but what could possibly be better than his hero, Jack, paying all of this attention to him? And that’s where it stemmed from, their strange relationship.

 

“I know,” Rhys responds, and for once, he’s not scared, because for right now, it’s just them, and it’s just normal. Their bodies against each other, talking to each other normally. “I’m sorry if I made you think that I was going to run away.” And Rhys hasn’t been this upfront in a long time, but Jack likes it, and in fact, he wishes that Rhys would say things like that more often. He places a kiss to Rhys’s lips, a smirk playing on his lips, and he knows he’s won, because Rhys is giving him that _look_ that drives him wild.

 

“Look at you, cupcake,” Jack purrs, and his lips are right on Rhys’s, teasing him, and _oh_ , Rhys _wants_ to kiss him, and he closes his eyes, hoping that Jack will, because he’s dying to be touched by him. “Already wanting more from me, like you can’t live without me,” and Rhys thinks that Jack could get off to his own voice, because the man is a big talker, and anyone that knows him knows this. And Rhys indulges him, telling him how much he _needs_ him, how much he _wants_ him, and it’s exactly what Jack needs to keep going, to tell Rhys what a good boy he is, and Rhys absolutely craves the praise that Jack gives him.

 

Because he wants to be everything that Jack wants, and if Jack knew that, he’d tell him that the feeling was mutual. And Rhys would know that it was a lie.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Rhys is massaging the older man’s temples, and it’s soothing to Jack, to say the least. Rhys stops every now and then, feeling what he assumes to be the pulse, and he wonders how bad his headache _really_ is. The room is dark, save for the dim light of the digital alarm clock, and Jack has his eyes closed, and Rhys can tell that he’s trying his hardest to relax his shoulders and everything else, but he probably can’t. The younger man whispers just loud enough that Jack can hear and he asks him if it feels good, and Jack hums a yes while he runs a hand through his hair as gently as he can.

 

And Jack, after a while, can feel his headache beginning to slip away and dull out. He finally opens his eyes, and Rhys smiles at him, and before he knows it, Jack kisses him, and it’s just a small peck, but it means so much to him. “Thanks, kiddo,” he says, and he leans back on the bed, and it’s cool enough that it comforts him, because he can’t stop the ache from coming back, no matter what he does. Rhys moves right next to him, and even for a moment, Jack can’t help but be happy that he’s there.

 

They stay like this for a long while, both not speaking, occasionally kissing each other, but never for too long. Jack can’t say that he doesn’t want Rhys there, because he does, he _definitely_ does, and the younger man eventually coaxes him to lay his head on _his_ chest for a change, and Jack does as Rhys asks before long, because he’s got him right in a corner. He can’t say that the feeling of Rhys gently playing with his hair is too bad, either. The night seems to be moving faster, and the dull moonlight peeking in through an unclosed curtain shines on Rhys at an angle that seemed to make the younger man look almost ethereal.

 

“Beautiful, babe,” Jack manages to mumble before he finally gives in to his eyelids, which have grown too heavy to bear. And Rhys smiles and traces his fingers along Jack’s jawbone, and he thinks of the things that make him so uniquely him, and that’s when Rhys finally realizes that he’s falling for him. And he wouldn’t leave, because he wants to believe that Jack needs him here, with him, and it’s because Jack, somehow, cares for him, too.

 


	3. Chapter 3

He could tell that Jack had just finished killing someone, and it wasn’t as if Jack was even trying to hide it. He could just tell by the older man’s facial expression what had been going on. Not too long after Jack hits the door, he’s on him, traces of fingertips on his skin, softly pressing down, and it’s enough to cause Rhys to forget about the smell of gunpowder, the threat that is still lingering in the back of his mind, and the touch is sending fire through his very core. Jack knows this, Jack always seems to know, and the older man supposes that that is possibly one of the causes for the seemingly endless devotion. A sigh escapes Rhys’s lips as Jack applies more pressure to his body, pressing his nails into his pale skin enough that they both know that it will bruise, and Jack would have it no other way.

 

“Do you trust me?” Jack’s voice has a hint of warning in it, as if to say that he’s just daring Rhys to say no, pushing him to defy him. Rhys knows this game, though, and he’s more than happy to play it with him. With a shaky nod, the younger man inhales sharply, and then seems to exhale the word _yes_ , and it’s as if it’s a green light, music to Jack’s ears, because before Rhys knows it, Jack has straddled him, his hands around his throat. His gaze on Rhys is encouraging, urging him on, because he can handle this, and Jack seems absolutely enamored. Rhys opens his mouth slightly, and it’s a look that Jack could get used to. Rhys wants to say something, but Jack is holding all of the power in his hands.

 

But when fingers scramble to his arms, nails digging into them, clawing at him, begging for him to let up, he can’t help but smirk at him, can’t help but to want to push him further, and he does, because Rhys is experienced in this kind of love, this type of affection, the only sort that Jack truly knows. Rhys’s eyes are full of tears, and Jack’s grin only seems to widen, and just when Rhys’s vision is clouding, going black, he finally releases his throat, now a pretty shade of red, soon to be black, Jack hopes.

 

Rhys immediately inhales and tries to catch his breath, and Jack praises him for lasting so much longer than he did last time. In a twisted way, it makes him feel happy, makes him feel good to see Rhys brighten up, to see him being such a loyal pet, such a good boy for him. Jack eventually moves from his position on top of him, slowly, just a bit too slow for Rhys, and he makes his way over to the mirror, where he straightens his clothing again, a sigh escaping his lips. Rhys is still laying on the bed, as he was earlier, his chest heaving, and Jack isn’t sure if he’s catching his breath or crying at this point, but it didn’t really matter, so long as Rhys just did everything he was told.

 

And later, the marks on his throat are even more pleasing than Jack could have ever hoped for, and he makes it a habit of telling Rhys that the bruises look good on him, makes him feel happy in his abused skin, makes him feel like this is all worth it. The two of them are standing in the bathroom together, looking in the mirror, and the compliments keep on rushing out of Jack’s mouth, and Rhys’s cheeks seem to be heating up. It’ll be worth it, Jack promises, he always does, and Rhys will always believe him, because that’s just the way that it is. Fingers trace bruises on his wrists, cuts on his legs, and Rhys is standing, so exposed, in only a pair of underwear as Jack hums softly, admiring his own work. Always makes sure to ask Rhys if anyone’s seen anything, and Rhys always responds with a quick _no_ , just what Jack wants to hear, just as he thought.

 

Because, truth is, Rhys’s friends wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway, because this is all out of their control. This is Rhys’s choice.

 

“Mm, princess, these look really, really good,” Jack purrs, and his lips brush over the band of dark bruises that adorn the smaller man’s neck. Rhys winces at first, but he allows Jack to take control of him again, allows him to lick a stripe up to his ear, and the way that Jack moans his name is almost enough to make Rhys push back into him, tell him to do that _again_. Jack is thankful, so, so thankful that Rhys follows him in a blind worship. Rhys’s voice is softer than usual when he whispers and tells Jack that it hurts, and this earns a chuckle from the older man, and he spins Rhys around to look at him, smiling. Rhys is just so _pretty_ , Jack can’t help but want to break him, can’t help but want to be his only saving grace, all at once.

 

“So pretty,” Jack muses, and he can’t tell if he’s saying it as a compliment or if he’s only thinking out loud. He looks at the younger man’s eyes, then at his neck again, and he swallows, because the only thing that keeps repeating in his mind is just how pretty Rhys is. Rhys smiles a bit, and he chuckles, asking Jack if he’s okay, and Jack returns his smile with a signature smirk, telling him that he’s fine, just thinking about something. And before long, Jack has Rhys bent backwards over the sink, hands around his throat again, and Rhys moves his legs to wrap around Jack’s waist, and he almost mewls when he feels Jack’s erection right on him.

 

Jack’s eyes have the glazed over look again, heavy with arousal, and Rhys moves his hands to wrap them around Jack’s neck, too. Jack gasps at first, not sure about the sudden movement, but then Rhys squeezes, and Jack smirks, squeezing back just as roughly, eyes rolling back. He is in absolute bliss with this kid, and he doesn’t think that he could ever find anyone else that was so loyal, so willing to please him, someone that knows what he likes. “ _Ffffuck--_ ” he manages to grunt out as Rhys’s thumbs press down on his throat, and he can feel Rhys swallow underneath his own thumbs, which had loosened up significantly.

 

Rhys chuckles, and Jack knows that he’s liking this too much, he’s going to get off on it, too, because he’s got that look, the one that Jack was all too familiar with, and he can’t say that he blames him at all, because he is handsome, he is everyone’s dream, and Rhys just so happened to be really good at getting him off, even with the strange stipulations that had seemed to arise. “Good boy,” Rhys says softly, and _okay_ , that’s a bit far, Jack decides, but he can slide this one time, because the air is finally cutting off now, and he rolls his eyes up again, and he’s moving against Rhys, almost frantically, and he feels oddly boneless in his movements as he feels himself cum in his pants.

 

He’ll have to get Rhys back for that later, he decides.


	4. Chapter 4

Rhys is massaging the older man’s temples, and it’s soothing to Jack, to say the least. Rhys stops every now and then, feeling what he assumes to be the pulse, and he wonders how bad his headache _really_ is. The room is dark, save for the dim light of the digital alarm clock, and Jack has his eyes closed, and Rhys can tell that he’s trying his hardest to relax his shoulders and everything else, but he probably can’t. The younger man whispers just loud enough that Jack can hear and he asks him if it feels good, and Jack hums a yes while he runs a hand through his hair as gently as he can.

 

And Jack, after a while, can feel his headache beginning to slip away and dull out. He finally opens his eyes, and Rhys smiles at him, and before he knows it, Jack kisses him, and it’s just a small peck, but it means so much to him. “Thanks, kiddo,” he says, and he leans back on the bed, and it’s cool enough that it comforts him, because he can’t stop the ache from coming back, no matter what he does. Rhys moves right next to him, and even for a moment, Jack can’t help but be happy that he’s there.

 

They stay like this for a long while, both not speaking, occasionally kissing each other, but never for too long. Jack can’t say that he doesn’t want Rhys there, because he does, he _definitely_ does, and the younger man eventually coaxes him to lay his head on _his_ chest for a change, and Jack does as Rhys asks before long, because he’s got him right in a corner. He can’t say that the feeling of Rhys gently playing with his hair is too bad, either. The night seems to be moving faster, and the dull moonlight peeking in through an unclosed curtain shines on Rhys at an angle that seemed to make the younger man look almost ethereal.

 

“Beautiful, babe,” Jack manages to mumble before he finally gives in to his eyelids, which have grown too heavy to bear. And Rhys smiles and traces his fingers along Jack’s jawbone, and he thinks of the things that make him so uniquely him, and that’s when Rhys finally realizes that he’s falling for him. And he wouldn’t leave, because he wants to believe that Jack needs him here, with him, and it’s because Jack, somehow, cares for him, too.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * something super light, was posted on the wrong account before, eh...  
> * apologizes for being so slow with things. i've lost motivation for a good chunk of things i was working on since i lost my files.

It’s early in the morning, but really, really late at night for him, and his eyes tell the world that, as he trudges into the nearest café, with his coffee on his mind. He really, really shouldn’t be working this hard, running himself ragged, but it’s not an option right now, and he has an image to maintain, after all.

So, when he enters the café and is met with the smile of a skinny guy with embarrassing fashion sense, he almost feels relieved, his boss is an asshole, but this guy’s smile is enough to light up the entire picture of his life in a second, and as much as he hates to admit it, he wants more of that.

“Your usual?” The barista asks him, and Jack nods, stifling a yawn and looking out the glass window, taking note at how the street is still dark, almost black. He thankful for the café being open so early, and it was open all of the time, and it seemed like this barista was always working. Must have been some kind of punishment, he figures, but something in his mind tells him that he’s probably just a hard worker.

Within a few minutes, Jack is served with the perfect iced coffee. He’d switched some time ago when this same barista had suggested that he try it, and ever since, he hadn’t been the same. The barista seems bored, and Jack decides not to leave his seat right in front of him for the first time. “Hey, kiddo, you own this place or something? I never see you away from here,” Jack almost struggles to make a proper conversation, and later he’ll blame that on the lack of sleep.

The smile is back, and the barista, Rhys (Jack can finally get a good look at the nametag now, score), seems to be all for the conversation, telling Jack about how his family actually owns the bar, and that’s interesting enough for Jack to stick around and listen to the kid for a while longer, and he doesn’t even notice when the sun finally creeps over the horizon of tall buildings.

“What do you do, Jack?” and his voice is soft, but it’s just there enough for Jack to hear it, but he’s distracted by the thought that it’s just been them for a while now, and he snaps out of his thoughts for long enough to answer his question.

Jack laughs, maybe nervously, but no, couldn’t be. “I’m an engineer at Hyperion.”

Rhys’s smile seems to widen at that, and he leans in closer to Jack, and that’s when Jack notices that he’s actually pulled up a chair to sit on while they talk, and oh, do they talk. About science, about space, about technology, about anything and Jack’s ignoring the fact that Rhys has the prettiest brown eyes he’s ever seen.

And after when Jack knows has been hours, because the sun is almost completely shining over the buildings, he finally dismisses himself, and Rhys tells him goodbye, and that he’ll see him tomorrow, and Jack actually looks forward to it, for a change.

He gets home and he can’t help but think about Rhys, Rhys, Rhys before his head hits the pillow. Maybe he was truly losing it, or maybe he was just happy. Maybe Rhys the barista at his favorite coffee shop had really gotten through to him, maybe, just maybe, they were meant to meet each other. But no, no, Jack doesn’t believe in destiny or those other things. But there wasn’t really a way to describe how he was feeling, and he wasn’t sure that he really wanted to, but he did know that there was one thing on his mind before he finally nods off.

_Rhys, Rhys, Rhys._

 

* * *

 

He wakes up that night the same way that he always does – messy hair, bags underneath his eyes, because he’s definitely not going to be catching up on any sleep until he takes a vacation, and he’s got his days saved up. He knew that it was no coincidence that each time he wanted to take one there was a super important project that seemed to crawl his way. It was like a virus, mostly.

Jack moves into the bathroom and takes a shower, a really cold one, at that, and he doesn’t mind at all, he actually enjoys it, especially when he feels like he’s going to absolutely die at any moment from the lack of rest. He could blame the depression for a lot of that too, but he preferred to not talk about it at all. Maybe it would just go away.

That’s not what the pills that he’s taking tell him, though, but he ignores that, too. And Jack gets into his car and begins to drive off, toward his job, but first, a stop at the café, because he needs his before work coffee. That’s what he’s telling himself, anyway. It’s not because of the barista or anything of the sort.  He gets out of the car, locks it up, and walks inside the café, where Rhys is behind the counter, cleaning something up, or maybe he’s just bored.

Probably just bored.

“Yo, Rhysiecakes,” Jack says, and he almost cringes at how natural his name seems to slip off of his tongue, even with the added flavor. Rhys almost looks shocked, but he smiles at him, and that was enough to encourage Jack to move closer and sit in the seat that he always sat in.

“Hey, yourself, Jackie,” it seemed like Rhys was flirting, but surely that was just his mind playing tricks on him, and Rhys definitely didn’t just go and make his coffee without him even asking. But he did, and it was tearing Jack up on the inside, because no, this is far too much, and his feelings had been hurt so much, there was no way that Rhys was different…

He was actually considering dating him now.

 _Oh_.

Jack is almost mesmerized when Rhys makes his own coffee and sits down. “I can’t stay too long right now, I have work,” Jack says, and he sounds far more disappointed about it that he’d like to, he notices. Rhys notices, too, and he laughs, and Jack laughs too, and they both seem to be so, so happy. Jack is happy. What was it about this skinny barista? He didn’t know, but he wouldn’t ask questions because it was nice, and Jack liked it a lot.

And when Jack enters the office later on, he’s happy, happy, happy, and there’s no way that anyone’s going to pull him down from his Rhys-induced high.  He spends his night coding and tapping at the keys of his keyboard and then he finally notices that he’s been humming to himself all night, and that’s why Vasquez has been staring at him, looking almost worried. And before he knew it, it was getting off of work time, and Jack was one of the first out the door, and he knew where he was going.

When he pulls up to the café again, Rhys is still there, and he’s so happy to see him, so, so happy, and he’s going to tell him, he’s going to tell him that he’s been thinking about him. He’s going to tell him that he could save him, but the words won’t come out. Rhys is making his coffee again, and Jack sits and waits, and as if it were something that they were doing for a long time, they’re both sitting, and he swears that Rhys just looked right at his lips.

“I’ve got bad news,” Rhys says, and Jack can just feel himself getting shot down, because he’s sure that the next words out of his mouth are going to be about his girlfriend that he hasn’t mentioned yet, or maybe he’s leaving town, or maybe Jack should just stop assuming the worst. With a gulp, probably way too visible, because Rhys is looking at him, concerned now, he tells him to go on.

“Well, we’re going to have to shut the café down. My business has gone out the door,” Rhys says, and he sounds so sad, so disappointed. Jack’s racking his brain trying to think about how he can help, and it’s probably the first time that Jack’s been willing to help someone other than himself. That alone scares him, just a bit.

“I… I can get you a spot in the new Hyperion shopping district, if you want,” Jack says, and it all comes out so quickly that Jack is dazed, he almost feels like an outside observer to the conversation.

“That’s too much, you don’t have to do that,” Rhys says, and he’s got a look on his face that’s screaming at Jack to just help him, make him happy. And Jack leans over the counter and actually does something for the first time in a long time out of impulse. He kisses Rhys, slowly, fully expecting for him to pull away from him, but the younger man deepens the kiss, and before Jack knows it, he’s wrapped up in him, he’s wrapped around his finger, and he’s almost desperate when he’s in Rhys’s arms, and he says what’s been on his mind, Rhys, Rhys, Rhys.

It takes him by surprise when Rhys says his name in the same rhythm, and it’s almost a reflex that he says it back, just as he arches his back and pulls him in deeper, it feels natural. It doesn’t bother Jack that they’re in the back room of a coffee shop, either. And later on, Jack is going to make sure to make the arrangements to get the café moved into Hyperion’s shopping district later, because he’s so happy, happy, happy.

And when Jack leaves the café this time, he’s taking Rhys with him.


End file.
